Abstract

This qualitative video study documents how physical experience within contemporary installation art aids or confounds the interpretation of meaning. For this thesis, I use Lachapelle's (Informant Made Video) method to study how three adult participants with different levels of art expertise respond to the multimedia sound installation by Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller entitled: The Dark Pool . Installation art differs from traditional art forms and art viewing experiences because of the physical and multi-sensory relationship between the viewer and the work. Viewers must become active participants . However, museum visitors mayor may not acknowledge or understand the additional responsibilities required of them once inside an installation. By examining how active participation within installation art unfolds within a museum setting, I illuminate how participants behave and interact within the work.